On 27 May 2022, the Law of Ukraine “On Amending Laws of Ukraine on the Uninterrupted Production and Supply of Agricultural Products within Martial Law” came into force, lifting a number of restrictions and simplifying regulatory procedures in the agricultural sector. The goal is to remove formalistic limitations and thus ease agricultural business in Ukraine as Ukrainian companies struggle with executing their regular activities amid the Russian aggression.
The law achieves this aim by simplifying phytosanitary and customs measures and widening access to pesticides and agrochemicals.
The following laws have undergone respective amendments:
- Law of Ukraine “On Pesticides and Agrochemicals”;
- Law of Ukraine “On Plants’ Quarantine”;
- Law of Ukraine “On Veterinary Medicine”;
- Law of Ukraine “On the State Control Over Observance of the Legislation on Food Products, Feeds, Animal By-Products, Veterinary Medicine and Animal Welfare”;
- Law of Ukraine “On the Basic Principles and Requirements for Organic Production, Circulation and Labeling of Organic Products”.
The amendments include:
- simplification of the state registration of pesticides and agrochemicals by lifting the requirements of a positive sanitary-epidemiological report during the period of martial law and 90 days following its cancellation;
- extending the list of pesticides and agrochemicals that are not subject to registration in order to be imported, manufactured, distributed, used and advertised in Ukraine for the same period;
- zone free from regulated pests without a quarantine certificate;
- equal recognition of documents (i.e. a plant's phytosanitary certificate, including for re-export) in both paper and electronic forms;
- simplification of the phytosanitary diagnostic procedure for the period indicated above;
- equating organic food producers that obtained organic product certificates in foreign jurisdictions with Ukrainian operators whose status has been defined by the Law of Ukraine “On the Basic Principles and Requirements for Organic Production, Circulation and Labeling of Organic Products”. Organic food producers can apply this rule until 1 July 2024;
- postponement of the entry into force of the Law of Ukraine “On Veterinary Medicine”; and
- lifting certain animal transportation requirements, etc.
